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mimsy

Adjective
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

A nonsense adjective invented by Carroll. It suggests something flimsy or feeble, but it is not standard English.

Detailed Definition
Like many words in the poem, this one works by sound and mood rather than dictionary meaning. It contributes to the poem’s odd, dreamlike atmosphere and is not a word most readers would know.
Example
Example in poetry:
Mimsy, coined by Lewis Carroll, blends “miserable” and “flimsy”; “All mimsy were the borogoves” makes nonsense sound descriptively precise; The mimsy rain sagged from the awning like wet tissue; Such portmanteau diction teaches how invented words can carry meaning through sound and context
Additional Notes
The quoted adjective is a coined or highly obscure word that readers are unlikely to recognize.; Found in the poem, Jabberwocky by Lewis Carroll
Also Known As
mimetic nonsensical whimsical
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